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Races (Fourth Edition)
A variety of cultures and societies populate the world of the Dungeons & Dragons game, some made up of humans but others made up of fantastic races such as elves, dwarves, and tieflings. Adventurers and heroes can arise from these various peoples. Your choice of character race provides you with a basic set of advantages and special abilities. If you’re a fighter, are you a stubborn dwarf monster-slayer, a graceful elf blademaster, or a fierce dragonborn gladiator? If you’re a wizard, are you a brave human spell-for-hire or a devious tiefling conjurer? Your character race not only affects your ability scores and powers but also provides the first cues for building your character’s story Deva Deep in the recesses of memory, devas recall what they once were: immortal servitors of the gods of good, spirits who choose to bind themselves to the world in mortal flesh. For millenia, their souls have been reborn to wage an endless war against the forces of darkness. Most devas are fiercely commited to the cause of good, because they fear what they might become if they turn to evil: A deva whose soul becomes corrupted risks being reborn as a rakshasa. Dragonborn Born to fight, dragonborn are a race of wandering mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers. Long ago, their empire contended for worldwide dominion, but now only a few rootless clans of these honorable warriors remain to pass on their legends of ancient glory. Dwarf Carved from the bedrock of the universe, dwarves endured an age of servitude to giants before winning their freedom. Their mighty mountain fortress-cities testify to the power of their ancient empires. Even those who live in human cities are counted among the staunchest defenders against the darkness that threat- ens to engulf the world. Eladrin Creatures of magic with strong ties to nature, eladrin live in cities in the twilight realm of the Feywild. Their cities lie close enough to the world that they sometimes cross over, appearing briefly in mountain valleys or deep forest glades before fading back into the Feywild. Elf Wild and free, elves guard their forested lands using stealth and deadly arrows from the trees. They build their homes in close harmony with the forest, so per- fectly joined that travelers often fail to notice that they have entered an elven community until it is too late. Githzerai The githzerai are descended from an ancient race once held in thrall by mind flayer overlords. After the bloody uprising that won these people their freedom, ideological differences split them into two races: the githzerai and the githyanki. The githzerai rejected the cruel warmongering of the githyanki and withdrew to the Elemental Chaos and to remote locations in the world to follow a path of self-renection. harnessing the power of the mind and the soul. Centuries later, the githzerai remain in such locations, leading disciplined lives and observing their surroundings to determine their place in the universe. Gnome In the Feywild, the best way for a smal creature to survive is to be overlooked. While suffering in servitude to the fomorian tyrants of Feydark, gnomes learned to hide, mislead, and deflect - and by these means, to survive. The same talents sustain them still, allowing them to prosper in a world filled with creatures much larger and far more dangerous then they are. Goliath Goliaths are mountain-dwelling nomads who see life as a grand competition. Their scattered bands have never been major players in the politics of the lowland world, but they have wandered the mountain ranges of the world since the primordials first shaped the peaks and valleys. Tall and massive, goliaths revere the primal power of nature and use it to enhance their own strength. Half Elf Descended from elves and humans, half-elves are a vital race in which the best features of elves and humans often appear. Half-Orc An obscure legend claims that when Corellon put out Gruumsh's eye in a primeval battle, part of the savage god's essence fell to earth, where it transformed a race of humans into fierce half-orcs. Another story suggests that an ancient hobgoblin empire created half-orcs to lead orc tribes on the empire's behalf. Yet another legend claims that a tribe of brutal human barbarians chose to breed with orcs to strengthen their bloodline. Some say that Kord created half-orcs, copying the best elements from the human and orc races to make a strong and fierce people after his own heart. If you ask a half-orc about his origin, you might hear one of these stories. You might also get a punch in the face for asking such a rude question. Halfling Halflings are a small race known for their resource- fulness, quick wits, and steady nerves. They are a nomadic folk who roam waterways and marshlands. No people travel farther or see more of what happens in the world than halflings. Human Of all the civilized races, humans are the most adapt- able and diverse. Human settlements can be found almost anywhere, and human morals, customs, and interests vary greatly. Minotaur Minotaurs embody the tension between civilization and savagery, discipline and madness, for they stand in two worlds. Tugged toward violence but bound by conscience, numerous minotaurs are driven to rise above their dark impulses. Such a minotaur seeks the balance between the monstorous and the refined. Innumerable minotaurs give in to the temptations staining their souls and find themselves thralls to Baphomet, the Horned King. Minotaurs must struggle to become more than the beasts they resemble or else succumb to the demonic brutality they despise. Shardmind Shardminds are sentiment fragments of the Living Gate, which once stood at the pinnacle of the intricate lattice of the Astral Sea. Beyond that gate lay the alien Far Realm, and the gate's destruction during the Dawn War resulted in the rise of the mind flayer empire. Though Ioun's power holds the portal closed, shardminds seek to rebuild the gate and forever cut off the Far Realm's ability to influence the world. Shifter Shifters are fierce hunters strongly influenced by their animal nature. Though they can't fully change shape as their lycanthrope ancestors can, shifters do become more bestial during the heat of battle, calling on the primal power of the beast within. Tiefling Heirs to an ancient, infernal bloodline, tieflings have no realms of their own but instead live within human kingdoms and cities. They are descended from human nobles who bargained with dark powers, and long ago their empire subjugated half the world. But the empire was cast down into ruin, and tieflings were left to make their own way in a world that often fears and resents them. Wilden The wilden emerged from the unspoiled reaches, ancient bogs, and primeval forests of Feywild. Awakened to fight the growing corruption plaguing the land, they strive to restore the natural order and to purge aberrant horrors from the world.